Former President Bill Clinton is being brought in this week to pinch hit for Hillary Clinton as she continues to recover from a bad case of pneumonia.
“Given the recent changes in the Secretary’s schedule, President Clinton will now headline the Hillary Victory Fund events in California tomorrow,” a Clinton campaign aide said.
Bill Clinton will be standing in for the Democratic nominee at two fundraisers in Los Angeles Tuesday, and he is slated to appear the next day for a campaign event in Las Vegas.
America’s 42nd president was not, however, called in Monday evening to help with a fundraiser in San Francisco.
The former secretary of state phoned the event herself as she continued to recover from an incident this weekend in which she was seen collapsing outside of a 9/11 memorial service in New York City.
Sunday’s fainting episode has increased interest in ongoing claims the Democratic nominee has serious health concerns. Her campaign said at first that she was rushed from the memorial service because she was simply overheated, but revealed later that day she was diagnosed last week with pneumonia.
Clinton responded Monday to questions about her health by posting a series of notes to social media saying she feels much better.
“Thanks to everyone who’s reached out with well wishes! I’m feeling fine and getting better,” she said on Twitter.
“Like anyone who’s ever been home sick from work, I’m just anxious to get back out there. See you on the trail soon,” Clinton said.
She said later in an email to volunteers that she is ready to get back on the campaign trail.
“I wanted to tell you personally that I’m feeling fine and getting better. (It doesn’t hurt to be able to spend some time at home with my dogs),” the email read, adding, “I’m just anxious to get back out there. There’s so much at stake in this election, and we only have 57 days left in this campaign — I want to make each one count.”
“Thank you for being the warmest, toughest, and most dependable team I could hope for — you’ve lifted me up, today and every day,” it added.
Bill Clinton maintained Monday evening that the fainting incident was fairly unremarkable, and said the former secretary of state has had a few dizzy spells in the past.
“Rarely, on more than one occasion, over the last many, many years, the same sort of thing has happened to her when she got severely dehydrated,” he said in an interview with CBS News’ Charlie Rose.
Hillary Clinton confirmed his remarks later in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, saying she could recall at least two such incidents in the past five years.
“Oh, I think [it has happened] really only twice that I can recall,” she said. “You know, it is something that has occurred a few times over the course of my life, and I’m aware of it and usually can avoid it.”
She also said she didn’t tell the public about her pneumonia diagnosis last week because she didn’t see the point.
“Well, I just didn’t think it was going to be that big a deal,” Clinton said.
